Gemina (The Illuminae Files #1)

Author: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Genre: Young Adult, Sci Fi

Originally Published: October 18th 2016

Format: Paperback (672 pages)

Goodreads:        Book

Synopsis: Hanna Donnelly is the station captain’s pampered daughter and Nik Malikov is the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. Together they struggle with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, blissfully unaware that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall with news of the Kerenza invasion.

Picking up about five minutes after Illuminae ends, Gemina is the electrifying sequel to the hottest YA novel of 2015.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Never for a second did I think that Gemina could possibly be as good as Illuminae but I was proven wrong. This is another fantastic novel from Kaufman and Kristoff, I just can’t get enough of this series.

Although there are still links to Illuminae and cameos from some of our favourite original characters, Gemina is very much a whole new story. I really liked the new characters. I thought that Hanna, Nik and Ella were all very different to one another and I was somehow able to identify with all of them, something which is essential for me when reading a book. Hanna is sassy and strong-willed, Nik is a softie deep down and Ella is actually pretty badass. There were some really funny moments between these three and I really felt quite attached to them.

The plot was exciting but maybe not quite as thrilling as Illuminae. Whereas the idea of the Phobos virus was completely terrifying, I wasn’t so terrified by the alien-like creatures in Gemina. I mean, they weren’t exactly fluffy puppies but I didn’t really feel that they featured enough to truly be scary to me as a reader. Saying that, plenty happens and this book is still rammed full of delicious twists and turns that kept me wanting more.

I again loved the formatting of the book. These books are so unique to me and I honestly will never get bored of them. I would have really loved to see more of the doodles from Hanna’s journal that we saw at the beginning. There were a lot of surveillance reports in this which made it feel wordier than Illuminae, but this didn’t affect me enjoyment at all.

Memorable Quotes

“And now, born from the ashes, she’s a warrior in bloodied black.”

“And blood and tears and screams did not matter anymore, because at least they are together.”

Final Thoughts

The ending of this book was so abrupt that I found myself searching for more pages. I’m not sure how I’m going to wait for the next instalment!

Are you a fan of The Illuminae Files? Do you have any recommendations of anything similar?

Feel free to follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Goodreads. Comments are always warmly welcome.